If you’ve ever fancied yourself in the Captain’s seat of a Singapore Airlines aircraft, in complete safety and under the watchful eye of an instructor, there are a couple of options on offer to experience this rare sensation by redeeming your KrisFlyer miles for a simulator ride over the coming months.
KrisShop is offering the most expensive option – ‘flying’ a Boeing 777 full flight simulator stationed at the Singapore Airlines Training Centre, while KrisFlyer Experiences has a cheaper deal to take the controls of a Boeing 737 simulator with Flight Experience at the Singapore Flyer, also including two Virtual Reality F/A-18 fighter jet rides at Funan Mall in the deal.
What’s the difference?
The Boeing 777 simulator at SIA’s training centre is a ‘Level D full-flight simulator’. In other words it moves around on hydraulic jacks to recreate the sensation of flight, and is used to train actual Singapore Airlines pilots.
These simulators are so good, pilots can go from training on them straight to flying the actual aircraft for the firs time with fare paying passengers on board.
The Boeing 737 simulator at Flight Experience is a ‘fixed base’ simulator. It’s a replica of the Boeing 737 cockpit and will ‘fly’ like a 737, but it doesn’t move.
The big difference is of course cost. Simulators like those used at the SIA training centre are extremely expensive (multi-million dollar) full-motion simulators certified to behave exactly like the real aircraft, and cost close to S$1,000 an hour to operate, plus instructor costs.
Fixed base simulators like the Boeing 737 at Flight Experience are accurately modelled and still expensive, but without the motion element and expensive ongoing certification, they come in at a fraction of the cost.
KrisShop offer
KrisShop is offering a 2-hour Boeing 777 simulator experience for S$1,306, or 163,250 KrisFlyer miles at its standard 0.8 cents per mile valuation when redeeming.
KrisShop also adds the taxes at the checkout stage, however, so this experience actually comes in at S$1397.42 or 174,677 miles.
It therefore almost always makes more sense to pay cash rather than redeem in cases like this, especially given that Singapore Airlines is extending the validity of KrisFlyer miles until at least April 2022.
This experience includes:
- Guided 2-hour flight simulator by certified instructor for up to two participants.
- Hands-on flight simulation experience that is closest to being in a real aircraft. Learn how to take off, manoeuvre an aircraft at 5,000 feet above Singapore and land an aircraft during the day and night and other challenging approach situations.
- Days of Operation: Wednesday and Saturday
- Time Slots: 10am to 12noon or 12.30pm to 2.30pm
- Location: Singapore Airlines Training Centre, 720 Upper Changi Road East Singapore 486852
Note that reservation is up to 40 working days (around 8 weeks) in advance, due to simulator availability.
Full details are available at the KrisShop site here.
Remember if you’re paying for this experience via KrisShop in cash (which is the way to go if you are interested), make sure to use a credit card offering bonus miles for the purchase.
Bonus miles at KrisShop
| Card | Mpd | Monthly cap |
 Citi Rewards |
4.0 | S$1,000 |
 DBS WWMC |
4.0 | S$2,000 |
 HSBC Revo |
4.0 | S$1,000 |
 UOB PPV |
4.0 | S$1,110 |
 KrisFlyer UOB |
3.0 | No cap |
 Amex KF Blue |
2.0 | No cap |
 Amex KF Ascend |
2.0 | No cap |
You’ll also earn Elite Miles or PPS Value for KrisShop purchases as part of KrisFlyers ongoing initiative allowing you to renew or upgrade your status level without flying.
Note that Pelago is also offering this experience through its site, though in that case the poorer KrisFlyer redemption rate means it’ll set you back a whopping 209,700 miles, or the same cash cost of S$1,398.
It therefore makes sense to stick with KrisShop here, whether using miles or cash.
KrisFlyer Experiences offer
The KrisFlyer Experiences alternative is dubbed the Boeing 737 & Virtual Reality Family Flight Experience.
This one comes in a fair bit cheaper, at 38,000 KrisFlyer miles. That includes:
A 1-hour Boeing 737 Experience at the Singapore Flyer, including:
- Pre-flight briefing and 1:1 instruction by a professional pilot
- Up to 2 participants can share the flying time in the pilot’s seat
- Up to 2 take-offs & landings per participant
- Printed Certificate of Achievement for each participant
- Up to 2 observers/participants can be seated in the rear jump seats
- Lounge access for additional guests with light refreshments
- Observers can watch a live feed of the action on the lounge TV
- Additional participants (chargeable at S$25/pax) are not included in the stated package price redeemable with KrisFlyer miles
- Maximum capacity in the flight deck may be limited due to prevailing Covid-19 Safe Management Measures
- Recommended minimum age: 4
Take turns to be the Captain of a Boeing 737. From take-off to landing, experience different weather conditions and learn the basics of the autopilot.
KrisFlyer Experiences
You’ll also get two 30-minute F/A-18 VR Experiences at Funan Mall, including:
- Pre-flight briefing and instruction by a professional pilot
- Up to 2 take-offs & landings per participant
- Participants may elect to fly consecutively or concurrently (side-by-side)
- Participants may choose to fly different aircraft types
- Scenic flight with customised missions/challenges, or
- Multiplayer combat /dogfights for experienced flyers
- Recommended minimum age: 6 (young participants may not be able to wear the VR headset and will have to use the TV screen when flying)
- The pre-flight briefing is included within the stated duration of the flight package
Feel the roar of the afterburners as you soar over some of the world’s most iconic cities and landscapes in a F/A-18 fighter jet at supersonic speeds. Then, enjoy the adrenaline and freedom of flight in VR.
KrisFlyer Experiences
Booking is available from 22nd September 2021 to 1st December 2021.
Full details for this package are available at the KrisFlyer Experiences website here.
Note that you can make your bookings for the Boeing 737 experience (at the Singapore Flyer) and the VR experience (at Funan Mall) on different dates if you wish.
These experiences combined normally cost S$419.23, comprising S$281.43 (for Singapore residents booking the 737 simulator) + S$137.80 (for two 30-minute VR experiences).
That’s giving you a 1.1 cents per mile return for the 38,000 KrisFlyer miles cost by booking through KrisFlyer Experiences, so we would recommend just booking directly with Flight Experience if you’re interested, rather than parting with the miles.
Young aviators enrichment
If you have kids aged 6-18, another option from KrisFlyer Experiences is the Young Aviators Enrichment Programme.
If your child is keen to explore aviation as a potential career pathway or simply curious to learn more about what it takes to be a pilot, the Extended Young Aviators Enrichment Program is tailored for them.
KrisFlyer Experiences
This package includes a 30-minute Boeing 737 Experience at the Singapore Flyer:
- Conducted by a professional pilot
- 30-minute lecture
- 30-minute flying time with pre-flight briefing
- An additional 30 to 60 minutes of flight learning observation time from the rear jump seat, depending on group size
- Interactive Q&A session with a pilot
- Up to 2 take-offs & landings per participant
- Printed individualized Certificate of Achievement
- Individual photo taken at the controls
- Boeing 737 lapel pin and other mementos
- Recommended for those ages 6-18 years old.
- At least 2 pax per session
The cost is 20,000 KrisFlyer miles for each participant, with full details available here.
Summary
Flight simulators come in many guises, and Singapore Airlines is currently offering the option to redeem your KrisFlyer miles all the way from a cheaper ‘fixed base’ or virtual reality experience right through to 2 hours in one of the multi-million dollar full-motion devices its own pilots use for training.
The Boeing 777 simulator deal is definitely for the pros, or those who really want to know what it feels like to pilot a large jet airliner. Every switch and practically every physical sensation is accurately replicated, and that means it costs a lot of money!
The Boeing 737 Flight Experience shouldn’t be downplayed though – we’ve heard good things about this, it gets well reviewed, and is run by actual pilots on their ‘downtime’.
In practically all of these cases, however, cash alternatives are available and work out as a much better option, given that we value KrisFlyer miles at 1.9 cents each when used for Business Class and First Class flight redemptions.
(Cover Photo: Pojana Jermsawat / Shutterstock)